27 minutes ago, rigger said:

If you don't know the exact wording of the option, I would not go assuming anything. We haven't got a good history recently, for making beneficial contracts. 

That article tells us that he will have at least another year here from this summer. It in no way implies that there is any doubt about that. 

1 minute ago, rigger said:

That article just says, that the option has been confirmed, not that it has been triggered ?

All the one I would imagine 

50 minutes ago, Sparks Rover said:

I think we should keep him until summer 2023 and get the best out of him and see where we are.....any money will just disappear. That's my ideal scenario if this option exists.  I don't believe anything those two say.

The option has been triggered

https://www.lancashiretelegraph.co.uk/sport/19763769.blackburn-rovers-transfer-news-ben-brereton-option-confirmed/ 

2 hours ago, Ulrich said:

Did I just read football players are So fit? They run 90 mins 2 times a week, that's not fit at all, as they struggle with it. Many other sports do much more than that, in fact I know recreational IE public people who are fitter than that.  Football fitness is all about recovery, which just means they are not fit enough for purpose. Players like CR7 put them all to shame as he follows a strict fitness and nutrition routine and he's still running around at almost 40.

And yes we should be looking to take every advantage we can and working on throw ins and other set pieces would create an advantage for us.

Total over simplification. They could cover 10km, or more, then you have the combatitive side of it, scrapping to try and win the ball, collisions, aerial duels, needing to be fit enough so as your concentration is there to make the right decisions. The Championship isn't Sunday league. I would be interested to see the people you you know who you claim are fitter play in a game up againt Lenihan, Travis or Rothwell , they would get their arses handed to them. 

As noted I think Johnson was a great addition when he came on, it was exactly what we needed, when we needed it. It might have slipped under the radar with some fans 

17 hours ago, joey_big_nose said:

My view is pretty much everyone from England to Chelsea to Barnsley to us is using 343 when you want to be defensively tight. Our 433 got minced repeatably last season by teams playing 343. It's very much a standard tactic with an ever growing  % of teams using it.

Mowbray has come a bit late to the party on it tbh, I think last season the idea was to play a high intensity 433 exclusively like Liverpool and try and batter teams which started well but ran out of steam over Christmas and as other side's figured us out.

This season the philosophy changed to be more of a counter attacking 4231 with the option of a 343 when required against other 343s. Now what's happened is the 343 is performing very well so we've made that our main approach.

So I don't really think we've ended up here in a premeditated way. But to be honest planning too much when there are so many variables is not that smart, you need to be flexible and TM has and were in a good place.

That said if we'd shown similar flexibility last year I think we would have had a better season tbh. We pushed the 433 for far too long. But such is life.

 

Obviously it didn't work and was very frustrating, but I think the last seasons possession based game is standing to us now. We have it in our locker and the players look comfortable in possession, but we aren't flogging it to death. 

12 hours ago, 47er said:

I just cannot see him as a manager in the Premier League. It would be hard to stay up anyway but TM as manager is a handicap too far for me. I'm way ahead of myself of course!

Coincidence or not, the last year of his contract does seem to have got him moving.

Not a good omen for a new contract, rolling one may well be the answer.

 

It would be a struggle whoever is manager I think, in a way it could favour Mowbray. When he's bigging up every team we play, at least it will be legitimate. Whoever it would be, 17th would be a win 

18 hours ago, roversfan99 said:

Owners unwilling to pay 2m for a new pitch due to the pandemic. I suspect we may pay for that with the pitch likely to only get worse over winter. Picture is blurry but from the May fans forum.

 

Unless we are playing one of the top 3, a bad pitch won't suit us. 

I hope the groundsmen will be able to keep on top of this, but Saturday didn't fill me with confidence 

8 minutes ago, Fraserkirky said:

Need a powerful athletic box to box midfielder and an experienced striker in jan and Hedges.

 

Why do we need Hedges? Is he even that good and isn't he a winger? 

12 minutes ago, rigger said:

Exactly, that is what this discussion started as. The fact that teams at the moment don't know how to keep possession from throw-ins. Years ago it was not a problem.

But you said one one post ago every team takes them quickly and retains possession? 

Players are just so fit and alert and it's not always possibly to get it thrown in that quickly. It's usually a short one and back to the thrower. The only truly effective tactic I've ever seen with throw ins was Rory Delap at Stoke! 

It's funny cos I've watched QPR v Stoke and now I'm watching Villa v Leicester and I don't see any particular throw in nous 

10 minutes ago, roversfan99 said:

Owners unwilling to pay 2m for a new pitch due to the pandemic. I suspect we may pay for that with the pitch likely to only get worse over winter. Picture is blurry but from the May fans forum.

 

That could bite us badly on the ass 

41 minutes ago, rigger said:

It's simple really, you take the throw quickly before the opposition can mark-up. Most teams have a player whose job is to mark the thrower, so that negates the extra man.

It's not always possible to take it quickly enough though? So it's not really that simple 

36 minutes ago, davulsukur said:

Stoke, who had just 25% possession up till this point, just scored a really good goal on the counter. Winning the ball back in the midfield, 2 passes later and it's in the back of the QPR net. 

A good through ball and good run, all of QPR's possession undone.

It was good for us Vranic and Allen were put againt us, but having said that neither of these 2 teams look better than us imo. I would say we are marginally better , at least 

On 02/12/2021 at 17:11, Blue blood said:

You missed him trying to flog Brockhall ok the sly as well. Something he has previous at with Coventry. 

And if we are being really pedantic he has also overseen a manager on 2 of the worst runs I can remember in living memory and missed his own stated target last year. 

Not sure how anyone can think he is either honest or competent really based on his own actions and words. 

Or was that a masterstroke 😉

15 minutes ago, J*B said:

No, we wouldn’t. If he signs a pre contract deal with Seville, let’s say, on January 1st 2023, he’s going for free in July regardless of whatever bids we receive. He decides where he moves and once he’s signed a pre contract he’s going. 

As I said though, that's if he decides to go abroad. That's a huge call. Premier League his most likely destination. 

Still, need to get him on a new deal asap 

Even if it is next summer  though , it'll be around £20 million. Gonna be far more interest than there was in Armstrong 

12 minutes ago, Wing Wizard Windy Miller said:

Austin and Gray are 2 very good strikers at this level, not sure the rest of the QPR team is that good. 

Those 2 Johansen and Chair would have a good chance of making our starting 11 

13 minutes ago, Wing Wizard Windy Miller said:

Would you be bothered if we got promoted and then replaced Mowbray?

Not if we got a top manager in, no, but I think if he does get us promoted he 100% deserves a new contract and the opportunity to manage us in the premier league. 

24 minutes ago, J*B said:

Come summer he’s 6 months away from joining a foreign club for free, which is a serious risk now that he’s playing for Chile.

Valencia, Sevilla, none of them sound implausible. 

I’d take 15M in summer. 

I get your point ,but it's we would probably still get £15 million for him that January. It's not set in stone he will go abroad. 

Need to tie him down to a new deal 

7 minutes ago, J*B said:

Alls I’m saying is 12 months ago he was an absolute disaster for Rovers. We had spent big and he wasn’t coming good, there’s no avoiding it. He was a £3M player at best.

If you read back, in my defence, you’ll see I thought he might come good, was worth persisting with, has the attributes. But now, they can’t afford for him to stop this form because he’s a £7m signing and they need a return on that.

Armstrong was different, he was cheap. We could have sold him for 4M and it would have been a success story.

I think I’d stick with him in January simply because everyone involved deserves this success, but come summer I honestly feel like the Diaz story needs to continue to be written elsewhere. Another £15M for Rovers, another chapter for Ben, everyone leaves happy. 

£15 million is way too cheap and if there is anyway we can do it, we sign him to a new deal. 

The club and fans could not be happy if he left for £15 million 

The way I look at it is Fulham and Bournemouth are the 2 best teams , but the third best team in the league is to be decided and I think we have more in the locker. Of the teams in the play offs I think maybe QPR are the dark horses, but again no world beaters. It's there for the taking this season. You couldn't even say the top 2 are set in stone , I think Bournemouth could drop out

27 minutes ago, joey_big_nose said:

I just think they have the quick technical players who we just won't be able to cope with like Fulham.

Im expecting us to struggle to beat their press and make mistakes that let them score. We'll see.

I wouldn't look too much into that fulham result, in fact I think we will beat them at their place. The red card ended the game as a contest and ya they probably are the best team in the league, but they are no way world beaters. Same with Bournemouth 

44 minutes ago, RevidgeBlue said:

Everyone (including Mowbray) will have to accept that Gallagher is useless whatever position he plays in and it's no coincidence whatsoever that we're playing far better without him in the side.

It will be a minor disaster if he is reintroduced in any position at any point other than small cameos off the bench and even then I think we could do better.

He's not first choice, but ya ,I think off the bench and going direct he can trouble teams with his size and pace. It's a good option to have 

1 minute ago, tomphil said:

He's our modern day Andy Todd this lad it was evident yesterday that scum Ched Evans was out to rough him up and wind him up.  He soon realized he was on a loser and after he had some dished back to him turned his attention to Van Hecke instead.

What an absolute whopper he is but he's in good company at Preston.

100% ,what a toe rag that guy is. 

I loved after the collision with Lenihan Brereton ran half the pitch to confront him. The hot headed latino that he is 

We have a some good hardy boys at the back this year and you need that to go anywhere in this league 

I wouldn't be so sure about Bournemouth. I would say they won't be taking us lightly anyway